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Chapter 1

• The novel begins in an unknown place on the Caribbean Sea.

• After his death, the General's palace is invaded.

• First vultures, then the people enter the palace.

• The narrator recalls the Federalist Wars and the General's rise to power.
• The General came into power with assistance from the British Navy.

• Later, the U.S occupies the country.

• Epidemic and disease are motives for withdrawal.
• The General finds Patricio Aragones impersonating him and hires him to be his double.

• The General's "first death" is a staged event in which his double dies in his place.

• The General allows his double access to his concubines, and the many children in the palace could be sired by either of them.
• General Rodrigo de Aguilar is the only man the General trusts.

• After receiving a "spontaneous outburst of love," the General travels the nation looking for this woman.

• The General's double...

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